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[Frog] Chapter 29: Tony's Major Decision
🕑 Added 2024-08-23 18:06:53 +0000 UTCOutside Peter’s house, Gwen knocked on the door. A middle-aged woman opened it.
Gwen greeted her warmly, "Aunt May!"
Wait, in this world, are May and Ben really this young?
"Hey, Gwen. It’s been a while..." Aunt May replied, embracing Gwen like they were long-lost friends.
"And who’s this?" Aunt May asked as she glanced at Alan.
"This is Alan, my classmate. We came over to see Peter. Is he home?"
"Hello, Aunt May..." Alan said politely, shaking her hand.
"My, what a handsome young man," Aunt May complimented.
"Thanks for the kind words," Alan replied with a smile.
"Go on up, Peter's been holed up in his room since he got back," Aunt May informed them.
Gwen led Alan up to Peter’s room and knocked on the door.
"Come in," came Peter’s voice from inside.
Gwen pushed the door open.
"You’re just in time. The camcorder is ready to play," Peter said as they entered.
Gwen approached and patted Peter on the shoulder. "Don’t worry, Peter. Dr. Connors will be okay."
"Thank you, Gwen," Peter replied gratefully.
After fiddling with the camcorder for a moment, the footage began to play on the screen.
"Peter, I'm sorry... I lied to you," Dr. Connors began in the recording.
"It seems..."
...
On the screen, Dr. Connors looked as if he were giving his final goodbyes. Then, he injected the gene serum into his body.
Peter clenched his fists tightly. He was the only one who knew that injecting gene serum without sufficient live test data was essentially using oneself as a lab rat.
After the injection, the shocking scene unfolded.
"Oh my god..." Gwen muttered in disbelief.
Dr. Connors’ severed right arm began to regenerate right before their eyes. Within moments, a brand-new arm grew, albeit covered in mucus. But it was undeniably a fully formed arm.
Had humanity truly achieved limb regeneration?
In the footage, Dr. Connors joyfully picked up objects with his new right hand, placing them down repeatedly. He kept touching the new arm with his left hand, smiling like a child who had just received the best gift ever.
But then, his newly grown arm began turning green, the transformation quickly spreading across half his body. Dr. Connors started to lose control, violently thrashing about the lab. The camera was knocked over, capturing only the sounds of smashing objects.
The final image was of a massive green foot, which disappeared into darkness as the light flickered out.
"Peter..." Gwen softly called out, trying to offer some comfort.
But Alan gently grasped her hand, shaking his head ever so slightly. Gwen understood immediately—Peter wouldn’t be able to hear any words of comfort right now.
After a long silence, Peter finally spoke. "Gwen, Alan... Can you promise me something?"
Alan responded, "Go ahead."
"Don’t call the police, and don’t let anyone know that Dr. Connors has become... a monster."
"I know he never talked about it, but Dr. Connors really cared about his appearance."
"He often stayed late at school because that was the only time when fewer people would notice his missing arm."
"The other day, he came out early to see me off. I should have noticed something was wrong..."
Peter trailed off, lost in self-blame.
Peter had been bullied his entire life, but when he met Dr. Connors, he finally found a mentor and a true friend. Over the years, their relationship had grown far beyond that of a teacher and student—it was more like family.
Gwen nodded, "Peter, I promise."
Alan also chimed in, "Alright, I also promise."
"Thank you... I just need some time alone. You guys should head home," Peter said quietly.
Alan gently tugged on Gwen, who had been about to offer more comfort, and the two quietly left Peter's room. Just then, Aunt May came up the stairs with a tray of freshly baked cookies.
"Are you leaving already? I just baked these cookies," Aunt May said, her voice filled with affection. "Peter, that boy... no manners at all when it comes to guests."
She made a move to enter Peter’s room, but Gwen quickly stopped her. "Aunt May, Peter’s been busy working on a project for a competition. He’s exhausted and needs some rest. We’ll come back another time to see him. How about we go downstairs and have your delicious cookies instead?"
Alan, grabbing one of the cookies off the tray, added, "These are great, Aunt May. Let’s go downstairs and enjoy them."
Half an hour later, Alan and Gwen left Peter’s house. As they walked, Gwen's mood seemed to sink, and her usual energy was noticeably absent.
"Alan, I want to help Peter and Dr. Connors," Gwen said, her voice filled with determination.
"Have you thought it through? It could be dangerous," Alan cautioned.
"I’m not afraid. I have superpowers now. I believe I can find Dr. Connors and figure out a way to change him back," Gwen replied confidently, flexing her arms as if showing off muscles. Even without visible muscles, her strength far exceeded that of an ordinary person.
"Alright. If you want to use your powers to help others, then let's get going," Alan said, holding her hand and hailing a taxi.
Confused, Gwen asked, "Where are we going?"
"If you’re going to help people with your powers, the least you can do is get your costume ready, right? We’re heading to buy materials to make it," Alan said seriously.
Seeing his determination, Gwen nodded solemnly. "As for the spider silk... we'll have to sneak into another lab at school tonight to make it."
With Alan taking care of the plans, Gwen felt like she didn’t have to worry about anything else. This feeling... it was so nice...
In a department store, while Alan accompanied Gwen as she shopped for materials, something on a television caught his attention. He stopped to watch the news. Gwen followed his gaze.
"Tony Stark? Hasn't he been missing for a while?" Gwen asked, surprised.
"I think he’s been rescued," Alan replied, already aware of the major announcement Tony was about to make.
On the screen, Tony stood before a sea of reporters, his face still showing visible scars and his right arm in a sling.
"I’ve had a wake-up call... I now realize that my responsibility to this world is to contribute in a better way, rather than just creating weapons that cause destruction," Tony said solemnly, pausing to take a deep breath.
Then, with complete seriousness, Tony declared, "So... I have decided to shut down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries, effective immediately!"
The announcement sent shockwaves through the crowd, and the reporters gasped in astonishment. Even Pepper Potts, who knew Tony better than anyone, stood there with her mouth hanging open in shock. Beside her, Happy and Yinsen looked at Tony with a sense of pride and relief.
Meanwhile, Agent Coulson, who had come on orders from his boss, Nick Fury, had no real grasp of the broader implications. He was simply there to fulfill his mission.
Obadiah Stane, who had been standing near Tony, rushed onto the stage and tried to cover Tony’s mouth, desperately explaining to the press that Tony was only joking. But no one believed him.
Tony's words had already been spoken, and Stark Industries' stock prices plummeted instantly.
Watching the broadcast, Alan knew it was time for him to step in...
...
